Peace Mother Sultan Azboy sentenced to 8 Years in Prison27 January 2017/Sujin GazeteSultan reacted to the decision and said, “I fight for peace and they call me “terrorist”. I didn’t take up arms against anyone. I didn’t shoot anyone. I am a peace mother. I am 62 years old and they have sentenced me just for participating in the protests for peace. I will continue my struggle for peace even if they kill me or jail me. I will continue the struggle for peace to the end.”https://gazetesujin.com/en/2017/01/peace-mother-sultan/

Two Arab Women Rescued From ISIS in Raqqa Operation Join the PKK18 January 2017/Kurdish InfoTwo Arab women that escaped ISIS cruelty in Raqqa have joined the PKK. Neither of them spoke a word of Kurdish or Turkish. I wanted to chat with them but unfortunately I did not speak Arabic. One of them was called Rebellion and the other one was Pervin. Rebellion is Pervin’s aunt. Both of them were in civilian clothing. They were on their way to receive their first training at the PKK. With the help of a translator, we got acquainted during our conversation. Pervin spoke with anger and told about her mother and ISIS’ cruelty against women. ISIS captured her mother. The mother of Rebellion did not prevent the two from joining the PKK. On the contrary, she supported their decision.http://www.kurdishinfo.com/two-arab-women-rescued-from-isis-in-raqqa-operation-join-the-pkk

France closes the case on the murder in Paris of Sakine, Fidan and Leyla24 January 2017/ANF NewsFrench authorities had announced that the first hearing on the murder of PKK founding member Sakine Cansız (Sara), KNK Paris representative Fidan Doğan (Rojbin) and Youth Movement member Leyla Şaylemez (Ronahi), who had been massacred in Paris on January 9, 2013, was due to open on January 23-24. The fate of the case remained unknown after the announced death of gunman Ömer Güney in mid December, 2016. Lawyers for families of the three Kurdish women have been notified that the case against Ömer Güney, due to be held at Paris Heavy Penal Court, has been closed due to the death of the sole suspect.https://www.anfenglish.com/women/france-closes-the-case-on-the-murder-in-paris-of-sakine-fidan-and-leyla

Two women from Denmark send medical aid to Rojava18 January 2017/ANF NewsTwo Kurdish women who live in Denmark, one cardiologist and one nurse, started an initiative in fall which they called “Kurdiske læger og sygeplejersker initiativet” (Kurdish doctors and nurses initiative) and aimed to send modern medical equipment to hospitals in Rojava Kurdistan. As they are practitioners of medicine themselves, they know how dire results can come out of a lack of equipment. Cardiologist Zeynep Binici Çetinkaya and Specialist Nurse Gül Özcan conducted a pre-research on the matter and thought long and hard about what they could do for the hospitals in Rojava.http://anfenglish.com/news/two-women-from-denmark-send-medical-aid-to-rojava

Yezidi NGO resumes activities in northern Iraq after talks with Kurdish officials21 January 2017 / ARA NewsThe Yezidi NGO ‘Yazda’ has announced that it will reopen and resume its activities. In early January, the humanitarian NGO was shuttered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for engaging in political agitation. “The closure of Yazda’s facilities and projects was due to a misunderstanding and the interpretation of some Yazda activities as transgressing KRG laws and regulations,” the NGO explained. “We reiterate that Yazda will follow all KRG laws and regulations regarding NGOs as it does in all countries.”http://aranews.net/2017/01/yezidi-ngo-resumes-activities-in-northern-iraq-after-talks-with-kurdish-officials/

Justice for Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Saylemez: Perpetrators Must Be Held to Account6 January 2107/Peace in Kurdistan CampaignFour years have passed since the murders of Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Saylemez in their office at the Kurdish Information Center in Paris. The women died by gun shots to their heads at close range, assassination style on 9th January 2013[1]. The suspect in the case, who was linked to the Turkish security services in Ankara, died in prison suddenly on 17th December, a month before his trial was due to start. There had been no prior indications of ill health.https://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/2017/01/06/justice-for-sakine-cansiz-fidan-dogan-and-leyla-saylemez-the-perpetrators-must-be-held-to-account/

PAJK: we will hold conspirers accountable9 January 2017/Hawar News AgencyNEWS DESK- Kurdistan Free Women Party(PAJK) recalled the Kurdish strugglers Sakine Cansız and her colleagues to escalate struggle following their footsteps and holding conspirers to account. The PAJK coordination released in coincidence with the annual anniversary of losing the strugglers Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan und Leyla Şaylemez.http://en.hawarnews.com/pajk-we-will-hold-conspirers-accountable/

On This Day in 1919: Rosa Luxemburg Murdered15 January 2017/Roar MagRosa Luxemburg [1871-1919], the Polish-born revolutionary and writer, was one of the most original theoretical minds of the early twentieth century. Her work stands as a testament to the great social of upheavals of the time and a life lived in struggle for a better world.https://roarmag.org/2016/01/15/on-this-day-in-1919-rosa-luxemburg-murdered/

Women’s Cooperatives: A glimpse into Rojava”s Economic Model.26 January 2017/Kurdish QuestionZahra Shexo bends over her sewing machine and meticulously, but expertly allows the course material to run through her fingers and under the pointed needle of the machine. The sound of over a dozen women’s laughter and conversation intermixes with the repetitive mechanical sounds of the sewing machines in the large room. The sewing room is a Kaleidoscope of different coloured materials, samples, threads and other necessary sewing items. Zahra is the current administrator of the textile cooperative Amargi in Kobane city.http://www.kurdishquestion.com/article/3809-women-s-cooperatives-a-glimpse-into-rojava-s-economic-model

EMERGENCY APPEAL FOR AFRIN

Life in Afrin

Weekly News Briefing

Jeremy Corbyn issues statement of support for the National Demo

Message from Jeremy Corbyn to Kurdish national demonstration in London:
“I’m sorry not to be able to be with you today, but I send a message of solidarity with today’s demonstration, and with the Kurdish people, under sustained attack across the Middle East.
The conflict in Syria has been the trigger for an onslaught against the Kurdish people, who are defending their autonomy and their rights.
We are watching closely the alarming events that have been unfolding in Turkey in recent weeks, including the killing of civilians and destruction of Kurdish homes.
Any negotiated settlement of the Syrian conflict must include peace and justice for the Kurds, including in Turkey. And the Turkish government needs as a matter of urgency to restart the peace process with the Kurds and respect the rights of all its people.
We call for an end to repression of the Kurds and justice for the Kurdish people throughout the Middle East.”

Destruction and Repression in North Kurdistan

Freedom for Ocalan!

On the 19th anniversary of his kidnap and imprisonment by Turkey, we renew our call for Abdullah Ocalan to be freed as part of a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question.